by Saxon Andrew
“Take us over the top, Sir. We know their general location and I’ll make an active scan. I’ll let you know when to change course.”
Dorman nodded and pushed the thruster handle fully forward. Three hours later, Al said, “I’m picking up their communications. I’m making an active scan in ten minutes.” Time seemed to drag and come to a stop. But finally, Al announced, “Their communications are quite strong and I’m activating the scan now!” Al pressed a button and stared at the main monitor. He yelled, “Get us out of here, Captain!”
Dorman whipped the ship hard-right and went to full-speed. Five minutes later, Al looked up from his console, “I’ve found four new-warships and two are not part of a large formation.”
“Pick one, Al.”
Lt. Alverez nodded and stared at his console, “I’m sending you the target, Sir.”
Dorman saw the white dot appear on the forward monitor and turned the Redemption toward it. He saw a track appear on the monitor and knew Al had not detected any alien scanners operating near it. He finally saw the target’s phase field in the distance and changed to the joy stick controller. Before pushing it, he said, “Lani, Al, is there anything we could be missing?”
“I don’t see any other vessels in my targeting system near our target, Sir.” Lani replied.
“Al?”
“Give me a minute. I’m checking it out with my optical scope.” Dorman waited, and Al shook his head slightly before answering, “I don’t see any other vessels, but it appears our target is flying around a huge field of asteroids. It’s not moving anywhere near high-speed and two older-model-warships are flying through the asteroid field in normal space.” Al turned to Dorman, “Why are they searching an asteroid field?”
“They’ve set a trap, Al.” Al’s expression showed his doubt and Dorman looked at the main monitor, “Admiral Talent shared with me how his wife was killed. She flew her ship in to repair the long-range receiver and ignored the asteroids out in open space. The moment she opened the bay door to make the repair, a wave of missiles was fired at her Epy from the largest asteroid. The aliens had set up an ambush and one of the missiles hit the open bay door. It was blown off the hull and her ship lost its phase field as a result.” Dorman pointed at the monitor, “These asteroids reeks of a setup, Al.”
• • •
Tal was watching his monitor and Jan was showing Dorman’s position on the long-range scanner. Tal leaned forward, “Don’t do it, Dorman!”
“Should we warn him off, Sir?”
“No, Jan. He’s got to figure this out for himself. Order Greg to have his ships ready to go in and get him out if things go bad.”
“Yes, Sir.”
• • •
Dorman turned to his crew, “What do you think about this now.”
Lani raised her tracking helmet, “It’s definitely a trap, Sir.”
“How do you know?!” Al inquired with a harsh tone. “Nothing on my scanners indicate it’s a trap.”
Lani smiled, “Al, Al, Al, you’re making decisions on what you can detect, not on what the target is doing.” Al’s head tilted. “Al, watch the target’s course around the asteroid field and tell me what you see.”
Al put on his scanning helmet and focused on the distant alien warship. He watched it for a few minutes, and then raised his helmet, “You’re right. It’s a trap.”
Dorman looked at them, “Care to tell me what you’ve seen?”
Al nodded to Lani and she said, “Sir, the target is moving around the edge of the asteroid field, but it appears to be moving slowly and then speeding up to move to another area ahead of it before slowing down again.”
Dorman nodded and turned back to the monitor, “It can’t have the entire field covered with warships. There are certain areas around the field where the aliens have ships ready to ambush any attacker. We probably should pick another target and get out of here.”
“I really hate they went to all this trouble and we aren’t crashing their party.” Dorman and Al turned to Lani. Lani had her helmet on and was shaking her head, “They aren’t playing nice.”
“Lani, we’re looking at a big can of trouble if we go after that ship.”
“I know it, Al. That’s what makes it worth doing.”
“Just how would you go about attacking that ship, Lani?” Dorman asked.
“Well, it’s certain death to move on it from open space, that’s for sure. However, all we need to do is get within the range of our missiles to launch an attack, right?” Al and Dorman nodded. “Well…what if we came in over the asteroid field and moved slightly inside it as we approached the side of the field where that ship is moving back and forth. Our missile would activate its phase field and fly through the asteroids between it and that ship, wouldn’t it?”
Lani’s question surprised Dorman. He thought about it and answered, “Yes. If the missile is inside its phase field, it will simply pass through any asteroids. But the asteroids would prevent the missile’s targeting system from locking on the ship.”
“I’ll program the missile to follow a line of sight course until it detects a phase field. I know the course and speed of that alien warship and I’ll fire at where it will be when I launch my missile. The alien ship and my missile should arrive at the same location, if I time it right.”
“Lani, the missile’s phase field will only last a couple of seconds.”
“I know that, Al. But that is still enough time for it to move a light year past where that ship will be. It can easily arrive at that ship’s course, detect the ship, lock on, and use its proximity detector to take out the ship’s phase field.
“Once you fire, you know we’re going to have enemy warships blow out of this asteroid field like hornets from a disturbed nest,” Dorman interjected.
“They’ll have to fly around the asteroid belt to chase us, Sir,” Al added.
“No, they won’t, Al!”
Dorman and Al turned to Lani, “They’ll activate their phase fields and simply fly through the asteroid field on the reverse path our missile was fired.”
They stared at her and Al replied, “You’re right. We’re going to have to get out the moment you launch.”
Lani saw Dorman’s smile and raised her helmet’s face plate and looked at them, as Dorman said, “Maybe.”
Dorman turned to Al, “Did you scan the space beyond the asteroid field?”
“I did, Sir.”
“And?”
“There aren’t any alien vessels within scanning range.”
“And what has been our normal tactics whenever we attack an alien warship, Al?”
“We flee directly away from the site of the attack.”
“So, what will the aliens lying in ambush do when they detect the launch of our missile?”
Al smiled, “They’ll immediately follow the missile’s course at their fastest speed. But if we don’t fly away, they could detect us as they pass.”
“Even if they do, they’ll have to stop, reverse course, and come back after us. We’ll be out of the range of their scanners before they can do that.”
Lani smiled, “And if you fly by that ship we attacked on your escape route, I can fire our pulse cannons at it as we go by.”
Dorman smiled, “Lani, you should be commanding your own ship.”
Lani smiled, “It’s my hope to one day do exactly that, Sir.”
• • •
Dorman looked back up at the monitor and asked, “Are we agreed that this is what we want to do.”
“Count me in!” Lani answered immediately. Dorman looked at Al and he gave a thumbs up.
“Al, can you get us into that asteroid field without being detected?”
“That’s going to be the simplest thing about this, Sir. The aliens appear to be deliberately avoiding scanning the asteroid field. They don’t want to scare us off.”
“Give me a course that will move us into the top of the field close to the edge where that ship is located.” Dorman saw
the track appear on the monitor and he pushed the joy stick forward.
• • •
“THEY’RE PREPARING TO GO IN, TAL! SHOULD I WARN THEM OFF!?”
Tal considered the long delay before the Retribution began moving and shook his head, “No! I think they’ve figured out it’s a trap. They’re up to something and I want to see what it is.” Tal looked at Jan and saw her fear. “Jan.” She turned to him. “What’s bothering you?”
Jan exhaled slowly before answering, “I don’t want to see Dorman killed.”
Tal smiled, “You’ve managed to see he isn’t as evil as you thought?”
Jan lowered her head, “I understand why he did the things he did when I was seeing him. He would disappear, and I’d be unable to contact him for days. Now I know it was because he was trying to avoid having his career destroyed by Rachael.”
Rachael turned from her console to Jan, “What is this?”
Jan looked at Rachael, “Dorman started seeing me on Haven. I tried to leave him because I couldn’t trust him but just couldn’t make myself do it. My father taking me to Earth ended the relationship and I wasn’t forced to make the decision.”
“Why haven’t you told me about this?”
“Why do you think, Rachael?!”
Rachael glared at Jan and then sat back in her chair. Jan was glaring at Racheal as well and Rachael smiled, “I imagine seeing him on my ship was somewhat surprising.”
Tal laughed, “You have no idea! I thought she was going to take control of the pulse cannons and fire on your ship. She was hotter than a pulse cannon barrel, Rachael.”
“Looks like he cheated on both of us, Jan.”
Jan sighed heavily, “Yes, he did.”
“But cheating on me can be understood,” Rachael replied. Jan’s eyes narrowed. “I forced him into a relationship with me; he really had no choice if he wanted to remain in the Colonies’ Navy. However, he chose you to be with. I remember he appeared to be upset for several weeks and he never told me why; I suspect it was after you disappeared from Haven.” Rachael paused and then added, “That explains why he called me out when I insulted you.”
Jan lowered her eyes and nodded. “I’m sorry, Racheal. I didn’t know he was in a relationship with you when we were seeing each other on Haven.”
“Truth-be-told, he wasn’t in a relationship with me, Jan. There was little, if any, affection, but I refused to free him from my threat. I don’t like he was seeing you, but, like you, I can understand why.”
“Do you still love him, Rachael?”
Rachael sighed and closed her eyes before looking at Jan, “I guess. But he will never, ever, choose to be with me. I blew it.” Rachael raised her eyes to Jan, “I’ve seen that you’ve kept your distance from him; was that to spare my feelings?” Jan nodded. “Well, I appreciate your courtesy, but you need to do what you feel is right. You’re a remarkable woman, Jan, and I can understand why he was attracted to you. Dorman is an extraordinary person and deserves to find happiness. I won’t allow him to come between our friendship.”
Jan turned to Tal, “You saw it before I did, didn’t you!” Tal nodded. “Then why did you send him out first!?”
“To prompt this conversation, for one, Jan. Both of you needed to clear the air.”
“What would have happened if I blew up, Tal?”
Tal turned to Racheal, “I’d have transferred you to another ship. I needed to see how you handled this and I can see that you’re ready for a command of an Epy. Congratulations, Rachael. I think you’ve conquered your demons.”
Rachael’s eyes moistened, and she replied, “But Dorman could be killed by sending him out to attack first.”
Tal smiled, “You’re not giving him the credit he’s due. He’s the best one to send first, because he’s better than most of the other commanders. Let’s see what he’s planning.”
Jan looked at Rachael, “I’m sorry.”
Rachael shook her head, “Don’t be. It’s in the past and I have plenty of responsibility for what transpired.”
• • •
Dorman flew the Retribution into the top of the asteroid field and moved the ship into the outer edge. He moved slowly around the huge rocks and finally arrived a hundred miles from the outer edge of the huge field. He watched the monitor and saw the alien warship moving toward them, “Lani?!”
“I’ve got its course locked in to my targeting system, Captain”
Dorman pulled the joystick back and kept the ship stationary. Lani began feeding instructions into the missile’s programming and kept her focus on her combat helmet’s display. The alien ship was moving on a straight course and Lani focused intently on the closing distance. The alien vessel was approaching on a course that would bring it directly in front of the Retribution at a slow-speed and Lani said calmly. “Missile ejected.” Dorman pushed the joy stick slightly forward and the Redemption moved in behind a giant asteroid.
The missile ejected from the Redemption’s front missile tube, activated its phase field, and disappeared as it flew through the asteroids between it and the approaching alien warship. It suddenly cleared the asteroid field and flashed in on the incoming ship at an impossible closing speed. The missile’s pulse cannon fired an instant before the missile hit the warship’s phase field and knocked it out. The missile accelerated toward the warship thirty miles away in normal space firing its pulse cannon continuously until it ran out of power.
• • •
Al had his scanners focused on the warship and the explosion happened too fast to see. One thing was seen…the giant warship went up in a horrific blast. Al turned his attention to his forward scanners and said loudly, “I have more than a hundred warships leaving the asteroid field in front of us, Captain!” Dorman remained in place behind the asteroid and kept his eyes on the monitor. Phase fields blew past the Retribution at incredible speed and Dorman lifted on the joystick. The Retribution rose above the asteroid and Dorman pushed the joystick forward. The Redemption leapt ahead and flashed through the asteroids ahead of the ship.
“Lani!”
“I’m on it!” Lani shouted. “Pulse cannons targeted!”
Dorman kept his eyes on the forward tactical display on the bottom of the front monitor as the Retribution bore down on the stricken alien warship. Lani opened fire and he briefly saw the ship explode at multiple sites before he blew past it. He veered right and pushed the thruster handle fully forward. Ten warships came at them from the far-left edge of the asteroid belt. They had not reacted in time to give chase with the other vessels lying in ambush. Lani fired her pulse cannons at two of them, knocking them out of their phase fields. Dorman heard and saw the pulse cannons start firing at a high rate and knew that they had to be targeting incoming missiles. He looked at the monitor and saw a large cloud of them bearing in from the left. He whipped the ship right and then pulled the thrust handle all the way to the rear; the Redemption stopped and immediately reversed course. Dorman flashed by three alien-warships Lani had hit and dropped their phase fields. He was past them in an instant and felt another missile eject from a missile tube. He heard Lani say calmly, “Another new-warship was cutting us off, Captain.”
Dorman nodded and moved the Retribution away from the large blip on the monitor. There was another huge explosion and then they were clear and accelerating into clear space. He changed course ten minutes later and the pursuit lost him. Dorman had a huge smile as he shouted out, “Great job!” Al and Lani also smiled as they kept their attention focused on their monitors. One never knew when trouble would suddenly appear.
Chapter Seventeen
Tee and Mer sat in their lair watching the newscaster on the display. “The final load of metals has been lifted off Australia and is now safely in orbit. We have received notification from the President and his government that the fund set aside for the assassins has been sent to the Guild Master for distribution and it appears this nightmare is finally over.” They glanced at each other as the announcer
continued, “The alien fleet started jumping out this morning and the colony warships have allowed them to go without attacking. Celebrations have broken out all over the planet and we’re showing you the one taking place in the capital City now.”
Tee saw millions of citizens crowding into the streets cheering on the display and turned to Mer, “I never asked you, did you kill any aliens before the proposal?”
“I killed three. What about you?”
“I stopped at one hundred.”
“Why?”
“Well, I no longer found any satisfaction in doing it and I was having to put myself in too much danger to continue. Then the aliens made their proposal and I decided to go along with their plan. Why keep attacking when I could get paid more if I quit attacking them?”
Mer nodded and took his hand, “What happens now?”
“We wait for the Guild Master to order us to turn on our communicators to send the recordings to his computer. Once that happens, the killing among the assassins will stop.”
“Why?”
“Because once the Guild Master has a list of all the survivors, killing them won’t increase anyone’s share. Anyone killed would just have their payment taken by the Guild.” Mer nodded and continued to watch the massive celebrations sweeping the colony.
• • •
Two days later, an Assassin Warship arrived above Haven and the Guild Master linked in to its communication system. He pressed a button on his desk and announced, “All surviving assassins will activate their communicators to send the recordings taken from their weapons.”
• • •
Both Tee and Mer pressed an orange button on their communicators and waited to see what would happen. After twelve hours, the Guild Master sent another message, “I will have my system evaluate your actions on Haven and will get back to you once the process is completed.” Tee and Mer sat back and wondered what that meant.
• • •
The Guild Master received the final analysis and smiled. This was going to be an outstanding pay day. Suddenly, his monitor beeped, and he saw the President of the Colonies on his panel. He pressed the button and smiled, “Good day, Mr. President.”